Creatine is best known as a sports-nutrition staple, but a growing number of people with Long COVID, ME/CFS, and overlapping conditions are experimenting with it because it helps recycle cellular energy (ADP → ATP) and may offset the mitochondrial “energy deficit” many of us feel. Unfortunately, the science is still catching up to patient curiosity, so most of what we have is small pilot trials and a lot of real-world stories.

What the (Small) Studies Say

• ME/CFS: In a six-week feasibility study (16 g/day, 14 participants), brain creatine levels rose, grip strength improved, and reaction-time tests got faster—yet fatigue scores budged only modestly. A separate lab study found better muscle-energy chemistry but again no clear fatigue relief.

• Long COVID: A five-month pilot (4 g/day vs. placebo, 12 people) reported higher muscle + brain creatine plus lower subjective fatigue and brain-fog scores, but the sample was tiny and no dose–response link was proven. A case series combining Long COVID and ME/CFS hinted at better physical and cognitive scores after six weeks, but the authors themselves called it “preliminary.”

What Patients Are Saying

• Big wins: Some users call creatine a “miracle” for getting through a workday without the afternoon crash or for tolerating light exercise again. One long-time ME/CFS forum member said it “moved the needle more than any other intervention in eight years” after a 10 g loading phase followed by 5 g/day.

• No change: Plenty of people report “it did nothing,” even after three-month trials at 5 g/day. Many stack it with BCAAs or NAC with no extra benefit.

• Bumps in the road: A minority report bloating, transient headaches, or a short-lived “Herx-like” flare. Severe adverse events are rarely mentioned, but some simply stop because they see no upside.

Share Your Experience ♡

Every body is different, and your story—good, bad, or “meh”—helps the next person make a more informed choice. If you’ve tried creatine:

1. Click "add review" on the box above

2. Tell us key things like your dosage, how long you used it, and what changed (or didn’t). If you like, you can leave your review anonymously.

3. Hit “Post” so others can learn from your journey.

The more voices we have, the clearer the picture becomes. Thanks for paying it forward!